Armed Forces: Co-operation

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the United Kingdom Armed Forces co-operate with those of France and Germany; if so, how; and whether such co-operation is intended as a step towards the creation of European Union Armed Forces.

Lord Astor of Hever: There will not be a European army and there are no plans whatsoever to create one. The UK is clear on that. The UK is, however, encouraging our allies in Europe to develop and deliver more deployable capabilities, either bilaterally or multilaterally, which could have a positive impact on NATO.
	The UK values its key bilateral defence relationships within NATO and the European Union, including with France and Germany, as they form a fundamental part of our national and wider international defence and security.
	Our Armed Forces co-operate bilaterally with those of France and Germany in a variety of ways, including the attachment and exchange of personnel between national armed forces, the conduct of joint exercises and other training activity, and the exchange of information. Our forces also work together closely on international operations, such as those in Afghanistan and to counter piracy off the Horn of Africa.
	We agreed to strengthen our defence relationship with France at last year's bilateral summit through the signature of a bilateral defence and security co-operation treaty. The aim of this treaty is further to develop co-operation between our armed forces and to make it easier for us to deploy together in the future.
	The UK has a well established and constructive defence relationship with Germany. We continue to explore ways of strengthening this relationship through regular dialogue between Ministers and senior officials, with a view to increasing our bilateral defence co-operation.

Banking

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by the Prime Minister on 12 January, what proportion of the £20 billion tax revenue they expect to be paid by the United Kingdom banks in respect of 2010 in (a) corporation tax, and (b) other forms of tax, stating the proportion for each type of tax.

Lord Sassoon: HM Revenue and Customs would expect large banking groups to pay around £20 billion in 2010-11, of which 80 per cent is from pay as you earn and national insurance contributions and 20 per cent is from corporation tax.

Banking: Royal Bank of Scotland

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made on the renegotiations reported by Baroness Warsi on Newsnight on 12 January to be taking place between the Government and the Royal Bank of Scotland on executive employment contracts.

Lord Sassoon: On 26 November 2009, the previous Government and the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) signed a full and legally binding agreement in respect of RBS's participation in the Asset Protection Scheme. On 11 January my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer described the agreement as thoroughly inadequate in respect of remuneration.
	This agreement cannot be unilaterally amended, save in very limited respects, by the Government or by UK Financial Investments on behalf of the Government.
	However, the Chancellor has made it clear that nothing is off the table if the banks fail to lend to the British economy and be responsible on pay and bonuses.

BBC: World Service

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many jobs are expected to be lost due to the cuts to the BBC World Service.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The BBC World Service has announced that, as a result of the package of changes announced on 26 January 2011, there will be a total job loss of approximately 650 jobs between now and 2014-15. Some of the losses may be offset by new posts being created during the period.
	The majority of these job losses have been decided on by the BBC World Service. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary gave his written authority to the closure of five language services as part of the overall package of changes. These closures will result in the loss of approximately 72 jobs.

Carers: Funding

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide more funding to support the work of carers.

Earl Howe: On 25 November 2010, the Government published an update to the Carers Strategy-Recognised, Valued and Supported: Next Steps for the Carers Strategy-setting out the priorities for action over the next four years focusing on what will have the biggest impact on carers' lives. These priorities are:
	supporting those with caring responsibilities to identify themselves as carers at an early stage;enabling those with caring responsibilities to fulfil their educational and employment potential;personalised support both for carers and for those they support; andsupporting carers to remain mentally and physically well.
	In order to support carers' health, the Department of Health is investing additional funding of £400 million into the National Health Service over the next four years to enable more carers to take breaks from their caring responsibilities. This money is not ring-fenced but, for 2011-12, primary care trusts should agree policies, plans and budgets to support carers with local authorities and local carers' organisations and make them available to local people.
	The Department of Health has also made funding available for general practitioner training, to increase their awareness and understanding of carers' health needs so that they can receive appropriate support.
	The Department for Education announced in December that it is providing over £800 million over the next four years for short breaks for parent carers of disabled children as part of the new Early Intervention Grant. The Government will be providing £198 million/£202 million/£206 million/£210 million for short breaks over the next four years, including the Child Trust Fund money of at least £20 million each year. The Early Intervention Grant is not ring-fenced and it will be for local authorities to determine how they use that resource to best effect, including what services would be funded for families with disabled children.

Children

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made with the implementation of the Children and Young Persons Act 2008.

Lord Hill of Oareford: Good progress is being made in the implementation of the Children and Young Persons Act 2008. The latest commencement order, made on 15 December 2010, brings into force from 1 April 2011 nearly all of the sections of the Act that remain to be commenced. This order also allows an extension of the social work practices pilot, by adding 10 new local authority areas under Section 1 of the Act with effect from 16 December 2010.
	The Department for Education has in parallel been developing and consulting on a set of regulations and guidance that implement provisions of the Act and streamline existing regulations and guidance into a more coherent package. These new regulations will come into force from 1 April 2011.

Children

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what financial support children in care will receive in place of the Education Maintenance Allowance.

Lord Hill of Oareford: We are committed to making sure that all young people can continue in education and training post-16.
	We are currently considering the replacement for the Education Maintenance Allowance and want to ensure that the funds that we have are targeted on those young people who most need support to enable them to participate in learning.

Children

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children in care councils are established.

Lord Hill of Oareford: This information is not collected centrally. However, a recent exercise undertaken by A National Voice has found, based on surveys and questionnaires completed by local authorities, that 146 English local authorities (96 per cent) have established a children in care council and five (3 per cent) have not. One local authority has not responded to the survey.

Civil Service: Salaries

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 21 December 2010 (WA 276-7), how many civil servants earn £228,186 or more.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: I refer the noble Lord to the previous Answer given on 21 December 2010 (Official Report, col. WA 277) by the Commercial Secretary to the Treasury. This provided a web link to departmental structure charts, which include information on individual Senior Civil Service salaries at http://transparency.numberl0.gov.uk/org-charts.php#.

Commons Act 2006

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the guidance on voluntary applications for registration under Section 15(8) of the Commons Act 2006 issued in December 2007 is still valid.

Lord Henley: Guidance on voluntary applications for registration of land under Section 15(8) of the Commons Act 2006, and on other mechanisms for dedicating land for public access, is available on Defra's website at: www. defra.gov.uk/rural/documents/protected/common-land/gpg-vdtvg.pdf.
	We consider that the guidance remains appropriate for voluntary applications under Section 15(8) relating to land in England outside of the areas pioneering the implementation of Part 1 of the 2006 Act. However, we are reviewing whether amendments are required in relation to the voluntary registration of land by local authorities. We will publish updated guidance in due course, which will also take account of new procedures for the dedication of land in areas pioneering the implementation of Part 1 of the 2006 Act.

Diplomatic Missions: State Recognition

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis they recognise the Vatican City as a state.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The basis for UK recognition of the Vatican City remains as set out in my response to the noble Lord on 16 December 2010 (Official Report, col. WA208).

Drugs

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that the pharmacological needs of patients with very rare cancers will be appropriately met, as well as those with more common conditions.

Earl Howe: We are committed to increasing access to cancer drugs for all cancer patients through the Cancer Drugs Fund and the £50 million of additional cancer drugs funding announced in July 2010.
	We recently consulted on our proposals for the £200 million per year Cancer Drugs Fund, which will operate from April 2011. The consultation asked for views on what advice we can give the clinically led panels on the specific challenge posed by rarity and whether guidance should be issued on prioritising the fund application process-for example, to rarer cancers. Decisions on the implementation of the Cancer Drugs Fund will be taken once the responses to the consultation have been considered.
	Over the next three years, the Government will be working towards a new system of valued-based pricing for new branded medicines, where the price of a drug will be linked to its assessed value.

Drugs: Ultra-orphan Treatments

Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have given or plan to give the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the appropriate methods for appraising ultra-orphan treatments.

Earl Howe: We have not given guidance to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on this matter and have no plans to do so. NICE is an independent body and is responsible for developing its own appraisal processes and methods, in consultation with stakeholders.

Education: ESOL

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research (a) the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and (b) the Skills Funding Agency, have undertaken into the potential impact on people from black and minority ethnic communities of the proposed changes to eligibility for fee remission for adults wishing to take English for Speakers of Other Languages courses.

Baroness Wilcox: A full equality impact assessment (EqIA) was carried out by my department on the changes outlined in the strategy document Skills for Sustainable Growth; this was published alongside that document on 16 November 2010. The Skills Funding Agency has not conducted a separate impact assessment.
	The EqIA found that, at the aggregate level, there are unlikely to be disproportionate impacts on black and ethnic minority communities within the further education spending review settlement.

Education: ESOL

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether adults on inactive benefits will be eligible for loans if they wish to take an English for Speakers of Other Language course in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, and (c) 2013-14.

Baroness Wilcox: Further education fee loans are being introduced from 2013-14 for level 3 and higher qualifications for those aged 24 and over. We are currently engaging with colleges, training organisations and others on the implementation of FE fee loans and what courses will be eligible.

Education: Free Schools

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government which proposals for new free schools have been approved; in which local education authorities; in each case, what will be the funding from government funds for (a) capital, and (b) revenue purposes; how many pupils will be provided for; in what age groups; and what are the locations of the school buildings.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government which proposals for new free schools are under consideration; and what stage each proposal is at.

Lord Hill of Oareford: As at 31 January 2010, 191 proposals are being considered by officials at various stages of the approval process. Thirty-five of these proposals are at business case and plan stage, of which eight have been approved to pre-opening stage, the final stage of the approval process. These schools, and their local authorities, are as follows:
	ARK Conway, Hammersmith and Fulham;Discovery New School, West Sussex;Etz Chaim, Barnet;The Free School, Norwich;I-Foundation, Leicester City;St Luke's Church of England Primary School, Camden;Stour Valley Community School, Suffolk; andWoodpecker Hall, Enfield.
	Funding for these schools and their intake details will be finalised during the next few months as these schools prepare to open.

Education: Free Schools

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government which proposals for the conversion of schools to academies are under consideration; and what stage each proposal is at.

Lord Hill of Oareford: Applications for the conversion of schools to academies that are under consideration can be seen in the published list on our website: www.education.gov.uk/schools/leadership/typesofschools/academies/a0069811/schools-submitting-applications-and-academies-which-have-opened-in-201011. Those that are listed as not having an academy order yet are in the process of being considered. Those listed as having an academy order have been approved in principle and are working towards funding agreement. Those listed as having a funding agreement have opened as academies.

Education: Languages

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of maintained secondary schools set a benchmark of between 50 per cent and 90 per cent for take-up of a modern foreign language at GCSE.

Lord Hill of Oareford: This benchmark was set by the previous Government. Data on this are no longer collected. However, the Language Trends Survey 2009 published by CILT, the National Centre for Languages, in January 2010 showed that 17 per cent of maintained schools in a representative sample where languages were optional at KS4 had set a benchmark for the take-up of languages.

Education: Languages

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of maintained secondary schools have shortened Key Stage 3 to two years; and what effect that has had on the teaching and learning of modern foreign languages.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The Language Trends Survey 2010 published by CILT, the National Centre for Languages, in January 2011 showed that 19 per cent of maintained secondary schools in a representative sample had shortened their key stage 3 languages teaching to two years.
	The Ofsted report Achievement and Challenge, published in January 2011, based on inspection of languages provision in a representative sample of schools, also found that around one in five schools visited had looked to enter year groups early for GCSE, either whole or in part. Ofsted reported that this had had a good effect in some cases, but that sometimes the school's rationale for this was not clear and could cause students to achieve a lower grade than they would otherwise have done and to lose touch with languages beyond key stage 3.

Education: Languages

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Key Stage 2 language advisers and consultants employed by local education authorities have had their funding withdrawn, or will have had their funding withdrawn by 31 March 2011, because languages at Key Stage 2 are no longer to be part of the national curriculum.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The department does not collect this information centrally. It is a matter for local authorities to determine their funding priorities and the structures that they use to support those priorities.

Education: Languages

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage the teaching of more foreign languages in schools.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The Government believe that learning a language is important to the social and economic future of the country and to help children to understand the world in which they live. We have announced a review of the national curriculum, which will consider the status of languages at both primary and secondary level. We plan to consult a wide range of academics, teachers and other interested parties to ensure that our core curriculum can compare with those of the highest-performing countries in the world.
	We have also introduced the English baccalaureate, which is designed to recognise the success of those pupils who attain GCSEs or iGCSEs at grade A*-C across a core of academic subjects, including a language. We have included this new measure in the performance tables to give special recognition to those schools that are helping their pupils to attain this breadth and we will mark individual pupils' achievements through a certificate. We expect that this will raise the take-up of languages at GCSE level.

Education: National Curriculum

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the findings of the national curriculum review.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The review of the national curriculum in England was announced by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State on 20 January 2011. We expect to publish the first set of findings and recommendations from the review by the end of this year. Full details about the review, including its remit and information about how interested parties may contribute to the public call for evidence, can be viewed at www.education.gov.uk/nationalcurriculum.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 28 June 2007 (WA 159-60), how many human embryos have been created involving fresh, non-frozen embryos in total since 1990, and what percentage resulted in live births; as a result of how many treatment cycles; and how many embryos have been created in treatments involving frozen embryos in total since 1990, and what percentage resulted in live births; as a result of how many treatment cycles.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that the total number of human embryos created in the course of in vitro fertilisation treatment for the period for which data are available (1 August 1991 to 31 December 2009) is 3,021,724. The total number of babies born (165,546), as a proportion of these, is 5.5 per cent.
	In the 541,555 cycles in which only fresh embryos were transferred, 144,545 babies were born following the transfer of 979,161 embryos.
	In the 121,249 cycles in which only previously cryopreserved (frozen) embryos were transferred, 20,874 babies were born following the transfer of 227,770 embryos.
	In the 711 cycles in which both fresh and previously cryopreserved embryos were transferred, 127 babies were born following the transfer of 1,712 embryos.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority about the ethics of and possible exploitation of women from permitting the sale of eggs; and whether they will ensure consideration is given to those issues by Parliament before any such policy is approved.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended, provides that no payment shall be made for donation unless specified in directions by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA).
	Any payment to egg donors is therefore a matter for the HFEA. The HFEA launched a consultation on egg and sperm donation on 17 January 2011, which includes the issue of payments to donors for inconvenience or expenses. The Government have not had discussions with the HFEA about this. The consultation states:
	"The law on the donation of sperm, eggs and embryos is set both by UK legislation and by a European directive which was implemented in 2007. This legal framework means that the UK has a responsibility to ensure that:
	donation is voluntary and unpaid;
	donors act from altruistic motives;
	donation is in the spirit of contributing to a wider social good ('solidarity between donor and recipient' is the term used in law); and
	there is an adequate supply of donor tissues and cells.
	Payment for donation is not allowed by law. The essence of donation is the act of giving. Because the act of giving is generous and humane, the law does allow donors to receive compensation for inconvenience. This is different from and additional to compensation for expenses and loss of earnings".
	Details of the consultation can be found on the HFEA website www.hfea.gov.uk/5605.html.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many inter-species embryos have been created since 2008.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that since the beginning of 2008, 155 human admixed embryos have been reported to the authority as having been created in licensed projects of research.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the internal background note for each parliamentary question tabled by Lord Alton of Liverpool and answered by the Department of Health on 24 January 2011.

Earl Howe: The background notes requested have been placed in the Library. Information that was sent to the department in confidence and contains personal data has been removed.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration was given by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's licence committee members or any of its peer reviewers to the experience of physicians at the University of Minnesota since 1984 in requiring immunosuppression for multiple transplants from non-diabetic identical twin donors to their diabetic twin counterparts before concluding that cloning offered a means of avoiding "the likelihood of rejection of the transplanted cells"; and what assessment the Authority had made of epigenetic defects associated with somatic cell nuclear transfer, both generally and in relation to its latter critique of iPS cells.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that it has nothing to add to the Written Answer given to the noble Lord on 16 December 2010 (Official Report, cols. WA 210-11) by Baroness Wilcox and my Written Answer of 24 January 2011 (Official Report, cols. WA 96-97).

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure that the requirements of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 will be adhered to if the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority ceases to exist in its present form.

Earl Howe: The intention is to streamline the number of regulators, not to change other provisions in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. The current legislative safeguards in the Act, on matters such as the status of the human embryo and quality and safety requirements, will remain firmly in place.
	As I advised the noble Lord in my Written Answer of 31 January 2011 (Official Report, col. WA 220-21), discussions are taking place between the department, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) and other regulatory bodies on the transfer of the functions currently carried out by the HFEA and how they will be discharged in the future. Proposals on where best to transfer functions will be subject to a public consultation later in the year.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 24 January (WA 97-8), whether the report in Human Reproduction (volume 23, issue 4, pp 756-71) that 631 cases of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) were recorded in the United Kingdom in 2004, based on information vetted by Richard Baranowski of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) in his capacity as the contact person representing data collection in the United Kingdom on behalf of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, was based on data held by the HFEA; and why the HFEA advised Professor Adam Balen that the figure was at variance with the number recorded in the HFEA database (609) when updating his short report on OHSS for the HFEA in August 2008.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it can confirm that, in response to a request from the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, it submitted information recorded on its register about the number of cycles in which a risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) was reported as the reason for stopping a cycle of licensed treatment during 2004.
	As I advised the noble Lord in my Written Answer of 24 January (Official Report, cols. WA97-8), the HFEA neither collects nor holds data about the overall incidence of OHSS.
	The HFEA has also advised that, in preparing a report on OHSS for the HFEA in 2008, Professor Balen asked the HFEA what information the authority's database held at that time relating to OHSS. He was informed that the database recorded reported cases of when a cycle was abandoned, either at the egg collection stage or at the embryo transfer stage, due to there being a risk of OHSS and was provided with figures recorded at that time for each of the years 1999 to 2008.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Ministers have policy responsibility for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

Earl Howe: The Minister for Public Health has policy responsibility for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended, and, consequently, embryo research regulated by the Act and the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which is the regulatory authority for the Act.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's evaluation of research proposals ensures that would not otherwise occur in applications to fund research and the deliberations of NHS research ethics committees.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 5 December 2007 (WA 195-6), Baroness Thornton on 19 January 2010 (WA 224-5) and Earl Howe on 25 January 2011 (WA 134), why the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has not specified how many human embryos have not been experimented on on the basis of Directions on Records (D.1991/4 and D.1992/2) pertaining to the "Embryo storage or research form" (ref no. (91)5) or Directions 0002 issued by the HFEA (dated 1 July 2009) and chair's letter reference CH(10)03 paragraph 1(h) that require licence holders to maintain records on total numbers of embryos created, used or disposed of in undertaking licensed research; and whether that takes account of the requirement in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 for a report to be made on every cycle of in vitro fertilisation treatment carried out in the United Kingdom.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority use in selecting peer reviewers for licensed research.

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it has a statutory obligation to consider whether applications for human embryo and human admixed embryo research meet the statutory tests contained in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended (1990 Act). The criteria for approval of research licences, the process for consideration of applications and the process for appeal are prescribed in law.
	The HFEA has also advised that it has powers and responsibilities in relation to the ongoing regulation of licensed research and a single focus to protect the special status of the embryo. None of these circumstances applies to research ethics committees, which are entirely outwith the remit of the authority. Peer reviewers for licensable research applications are selected on the basis of their expertise in relevant areas. A list of peer reviewers is published in the HFEA's annual report, available on its website.
	The HFEA has advised that its register of information holds information that the authority is required to hold by law, specifically Section 31 of the 1990 Act. Forms issued under Directions 0002, issued in 2009, will provide a searchable record of embryos created or received for the purpose of research or used in licensed research. The HFEA has advised that it holds no easily searchable record of forms submitted prior to this time.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 24 January (WA 96-7), why the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) does not comment on previous decisions of its licence committees.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 24 January (WA 96-7), whether no information was communicated to Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority members prior to 16 March 2005 in which the autoimmune nature of type 1 diabetes was highlighted or queried in relation to licensing the use of cells from diabetics for human embryo cloning.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 24 January (WA 96-7), whether the practice of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has always been that "future licensing decisions will be made in the light of the best scientific and other relevant information available at the time".

Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it reviews information in order to support its statutory functions. In considering licence applications, licence committees have at their disposal relevant information including peer review reports prepared by experts with current knowledge of the field. It is for a licence committee to determine whether or not it is sufficiently well informed to make a determination according to its statutory duties, including whether it is provided with the scientific and other relevant advice that it requires.
	The powers of HFEA licence committees are delegated to them by the authority pursuant to provisions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended. Minutes of licence committee meetings, which set out the committee's reasoning, are published on the authority's website at: www.hfea.gov.uk.
	The authority does not comment on the judgment of a licence committee or speculate on the facts relating to a licence committee decision; to do so would undermine the purpose of the statutory provision for the delegation of this function. A procedure for reconsideration of licence committee decisions is prescribed in regulations. No role is assigned to the authority in relation to appeals, which are considered by a separate appeals committee as established by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Appeals) Regulations 2009 (SI2009/1891). Further appeal may be made to the High Court on a point of law.

EU: Access to Documents

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will seek to ensure that the protection given by EU Regulation 1049/2001 on access to documents of the European Union institutions is not weakened during the current revision process.

Lord McNally: The Government are committed to safeguarding the rights provided by Regulation 1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents during the current revision process, while ensuring that sensitive information is adequately protected.

EU: Access to Documents

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will advocate the extension of access to documents at European Union level to documents, particularly scientific studies, used by member states when elaborating their positions in Council of Ministers meetings.

Lord McNally: Documents originating from member states that are in the possession of a European Union institution are covered by the current Regulation 1049/2001 regarding public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission documents, subject to any exceptions that may apply. The Government oppose any restriction to the definition of a document subject to the regulation.

EU: Economic Co-ordination

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the German Finance Minister's statement on 18 January that a new package of economic reforms to strengthen the European Union's rescue fund and to co-ordinate European Union financial policy is under consideration; and whether they have been involved in the discussions.

Lord Sassoon: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with European partners on a wide variety of topics as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	The UK Government support the euro area's stated commitment to safeguard the financial stability of the euro area as a whole. A comprehensive package is needed to address the instability and uncertainty seen in the euro area over the last year.
	The European Commission published six legislative proposals to improve EU economic governance. The Government are engaged in negotiations in the EU on these dossiers. The Financial Secretary to the Treasury has given evidence to an inquiry on economic governance that is being conducted by the Lords sub-committee on European affairs.
	The December European Council agreed that euro area member states will establish a permanent European stability mechanism (ESM). The Prime Minister and the Chancellor have made it clear that the UK will not be a member of the ESM. However, the UK will participate in the work to design the features of the ESM.

EU: Education Materials

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the production by the European Commission of £4.4 million worth of 2011 diaries, 350,000 of which have been distributed to United Kingdom schools, which make no mention of Christian festivals but include dates of Muslim, Jewish, Sikh and Chinese festivals.

Lord Howell of Guildford: The diaries are produced by the European Commission as a school resource for teenagers, containing information about the European Union. The Commission has advised us that they cost €1.58 to produce per copy. The diaries are not intended to provide a comprehensive agenda of known holidays and therefore do not list those religious holidays and events that are considered to be general knowledge in Europe. They do, however, include interesting and potentially unknown facts as footnotes on each page, including the dates of some celebrations related to the less practised religions in the European Union.
	The European Commission has advised us that in response to the concerns expressed the next edition will include the main public holidays, including religious holidays, in each member state and that for 2010-11 a one-page addendum to the diary, which sets out the main public holidays, including religious holidays, in each member state is being produced. This will be sent together with an explanatory letter to the schools that have received the diaries.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not regard this expenditure as a good use of money.

EU: Integration

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 19 January (WA 34), how many times the scrutiny reserve resolution has been overridden in each House of Parliament during the past 10 years.

Lord Howell of Guildford: Figures are available only from 2003, when the Government agreed to send lists to the committees following a recommendation in the House of Lords European Union Committee's report reviewing scrutiny in 2002 (1st report, 2002-3). The report recommended that Parliament should be provided with twice-yearly reports summarising the overrides of the previous six-monthly period. The first of these reports covered the period January to June 2003.
	The table below shows the numbers for each period and aggregated for each year. The figures for the second half of 2010 are provisional pending final agreement.
	The Government will continue to work closely with both parliamentary scrutiny committees to find ways to keep overrides to a minimum. We will continue to justify those occasions when an override is deemed necessary by setting out the reasons for the override in a letter to the chairmen of the committees.
	Occasions the scrutiny reserve resolution has been overridden, January 2003-December 2010
	
		
			 Period House of Lords House of Commons 
			 Jan-June 2003 30 26 
			 July-Dec 2003 34 33 
			 Total 2003 64 59 
			 Jan-June 2004 13 16 
			 June-Dec 2004 20 22 
			 Total 2004 33 38 
		
	
	
		
			 Period House of Lords House of Commons 
			 Jan-June 2005* 28 52 
			 July-Dec 2005 17 19 
			 Total 2005 45 71 
			 Jan-June 2006 14 12 
			 July-Dec 2006 24 29 
			 Total 2006 38 41 
			 Jan-June 2007 6 5 
			 July-Dec 2007 13 14 
			 Total 2007 19 19 
			 Jan-June 2008 7 4 
			 July-Dec 2008 21 23 
			 Total 2008 28 27 
			 Jan-June 2009 14 9 
			 July-Dec 2009 32 21 
			 Total 2009 46 30 
			 Jan-June 2010* 54 52 
			 July-Dec 2010** 18 27 
			 Total 2010** 72 79 
		
	
	* Figures for the first half of 2005 and 2010 include a period when Parliament was dissolved and a period immediately after the opening of Parliament before the European Union Committee in the House of Lords and the European Scrutiny Committee in the House of Commons were appointed.
	** The figures for July-Dec 2010, and therefore the full year for 2010, are provisional. They are subject to final agreement between government officials and officials of the parliamentary scrutiny committees.

European Commission: Legislation

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the European Commission suggesting that they do not make new proposals for legislation, and re-examine existing legislation to see whether it is necessary.

Baroness Wilcox: To address concerns about EU regulation, the Prime Minister recently announced three new major policy ideas to reduce the regulatory burden originating in Brussels. These are to bring in a one-in, one-out rule for new EU regulations; set a new and tougher target to actually reduce the total regulatory burden over the life of the Commission; and give small businesses-engines of job creation-an exemption from big new regulations. The Prime Minister will be setting out a specific plan for growth in Europe in the next six weeks.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 7 December 2010 (WA 34-5), in which subsection of Section 12 of the York report A Systematic Review of Water Fluoridation can be found the statement appearing on the website of the National Fluoride Information Centre that areas of past concern about fluoridation no longer require further investigation.

Earl Howe: We accept that there is no reference in the York report to support this statement. We have written directly to the National Fluoride Information Centre to amend its website.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 15 November 2010 (WA 156), why the words "(level B)" were omitted after "evidence" in the quotation from the York report on water fluoridation.

Earl Howe: The words were omitted for the sake of brevity. The inclusion of a definition of "level B" would have resulted in a longer reply. In its Systematic Review of Water Fluoridation, the University of York categorised level B research as providing evidence of moderate quality, moderate risk of bias, including studies that started within three years of the initiation or discontinuation of water fluoridation, with a prospective follow-up for outcomes, studies that measured and adjusted for less than three but at least one confounding factor and studies in which fluoridation status of participants was known to those assessing primary outcomes but other provisions were made to prevent measurement bias.

Fluoridation

Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what effect the lowering in 2007 of the concentration of fluoride in the water supply in the Republic of Ireland from 1.0 to 0.7 parts per million, the recent similar lowering in Canada, the current proposals for a lowering to 0.7 in the United States, and the setting of an upper limit of 0.8 ppm under the European Communities (Drinking Water) Regulations 2007, has had on their stance on the suggestion by the York report on water fluoridation in 2000 that the concentration in the United Kingdom might be lowered to around 0.8 ppm.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in considering the concentration of fluoride in water supplies in the United Kingdom, they have assessed which other countries in the same geographical latitude as England continue to fluoridate their water supplies at a concentration of 1 part per million.

Earl Howe: The European Council Directive 98/83/EC on the quality of water intended for human consumption sets a maximum limit of 1.5 milligrams of fluoride per litre of water. In 2007, following a review of water fluoridation in Eire, the Government of the Republic of Ireland amended Irish regulations, entitled the European Communities (Drinking Water) Regulations 2007, to state:
	"The amount of fluoride which may be added to public water supplies shall be such that the water, after the addition of the fluoride, shall contain not more than 0.8 milligrams of fluoride per litre of water, and not less than 0.6 milligrams of fluoride per litre (mg/l) of water".
	We understand that in Canada, which like Ireland is on a similar latitude to the United Kingdom, the Government have adopted a maximum concentration of 0.7 milligrams per litre.
	The Systematic Review of Water Fluoridation undertaken by the University of York recommended:
	"Future studies should address the impact of using lower levels of water fluoride content, such as 0.8ppm in a formal way in conjunction with an efficacy study".
	In this connection, we will be carefully considering the Department of Health and Human Services' proposals for the USA and the outcome of its consultation, to decide whether any changes should be made to the target concentration used in England.

Forestry

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they will use to determine which parts of the forestry estate will be sold during the spending review period; to which types of bodies they may be sold; how such sales will take place; and what terms and conditions will be put on them.

Lord Henley: Priority for sale will be given to woods that are outliers to the estate in England or those that are likely to incur significant expenditure over the next five years. Sales will also take into account the impact of changes to the Forestry Commission's organisational structure and future revenue streams needed to meet the spending review targets.
	The woods selected will be those that provide limited added value from public ownership in the delivery of public benefits. These public benefits include public access, where priority will be given to leasehold woods with constrained public access, and freehold woods with low levels of public usage that are dedicated under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to protect access on foot in perpetuity.
	Plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) will be included only where they comprise less than 10 per cent of a woodland unit. Ancient semi-natural woodlands can be considered for sale and will be individually assessed for their quality and potential.
	The full selection criteria that we have agreed with the Forestry Commission for woodland in the 2011-12 asset sales programme have also been published in more detail on the Forestry Commission website.
	The Forestry Commission will operate a preferred purchaser scheme. This will provide a mechanism for voluntary sector or public bodies to identify areas of land in which they have a particular interest and to request a first option to purchase this land at market price within a specified timeframe prior to the properties being offered on the open market.

Forestry

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government which plots of land in the forestry estate they plan to sell this year.

Lord Henley: Listed below are sales that Forestry Commission England is in the process of concluding under the 2010-11 sales programme agreed by the previous Administration. We have agreed updated selection criteria with the Forestry Commission for the woodland in the next stage of its asset sales programme (2011-12); these were published on 27 January. Forestry Commission England expects to publish details of the sites that it has selected for sale using these criteria by the end of February.
	
		
			 Region Wood Area (HA) 
			 York & Humber Wadworth 94 
			 York & Humber Arncliffe 173 
			 York & Humber Sand Hutton Lot 1 Whey Carr 10 
			 York & Humber Sand Hutton Lot 2 Kissthorn 3 
			 York & Humber Sand Hutton Lot 3 Scroggs Bottom 13 
			 York & Humber Thwaite Wood (Old Field Wood) 21 
			 West Midlands Limburies 12 
			 West Midlands Brookshill 30 
			 West Midlands Mansty, Cannock. (Pillaton)-with above  
			 West Midlands Madeley Heath Lot 1 Waltons 30 
			 West Midlands Buxton 8 
			 West Midlands Madeley Heath Lot 2 Old Wharf 13 
			 South West England Bircham 20 
			 South West England Lulworth Woods 255 
			 South West England Bryanston, Crown 168 
			 South West England Ashclyst 2 
			 South West England Hay Wood 53 
			 South West England Pt Grogley 4 
			 South West England Lot 2 Rookery Wood, Coombe Valley Woods 6 
			 South West England Sleech and Pond. Lot 1 Sleech Wood 14 
			 South West England Sleech and Pond. Lot 2 Pond Coppice 2 
			 South West England Lot 1 Stowe Wood Coombe Valley Woods 53 
			 South West England Winsford 23 
			 South West England Beardown 48 
			 South West England Stonaford and North Hill, Trebatha, Bodmin 65 
			 South East England Buscot and Badbury 168 
			 South East England Alice Holt (Cobdens Copse) 9 
			 South East England Fern Wood (Vinehall) 14 
			 South East England Orlestone (Penfold Wood) 7.29 
			 South East England Alice Holt (Wey Spinney N of Railway) 2 
			 South East England Brassets Wood 19.88 
			 South East England Lot 1 Land at Christmas Common (paddock) also known as Field at Queens and College Wood 0.23 
			 South East England Lot 2 Land at Christmas Common (footings of former office) also known as Field at Queens and College Wood 0.19 
			 South East England Market Reading, (Latimer) 3.68 
			 South East England Shabbington 3 
			 South East England Sulham 98.30 
			 South East England Rewell 281 
			 South East England Houghton 233 
			 South East England New sowed wood (Shardeloes) 2 
			 North West England Bigwood 29 
			 North West England Cropple How 40 
			 North West England Dalton Park 79 
			 North West England Parkwood Lot 2 Halls Beck, Bassenthwaite 11 
			 North West England Sawrey Ground 38 
			 East Midlands Compton Estate-Cold Oak 42 
			 East Midlands Compton Estate-Horn Wood 24 
			 East Midlands Compton Estate-Long Furlong (Easton) 73 
			 East Midlands Wadworth-Wet Holt 6

Government Departments: Procurement

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 27 January (WA 196), what progress they have made in implementing the recommendations made by Sir Philip Green; and what estimate they have made of the savings that will be realised over each of the next three fiscal years as a result of his review.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer that I gave on 20 January 2011 (Official Report, col. WA 196). Sir Philip's recommendations have been incorporated into ongoing programmes within the efficiency and reform agenda.

Government: Consultancy Services

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the aggregate value of non-financial management consultancy contracts in excess of £100,000 agreed by the Government over the past 12 months; and which companies were awarded the five largest aggregate amounts.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: In May 2010, this Government introduced a set of new controls to reduce departmental spend on consultancy. Through these controls we have seen a 46 per cent reduction in spend, compared to the same period last year. Along with the introduction of these new controls, the Government have started to collect data from departments since May 2010.
	Departments have reported an aggregate value of £318 million for those non-financial management consultancy contracts with a value in excess of £100,000. This includes both forecast and actual spend in 2010-11.
	To date, the companies awarded the five largest amounts for non-financial management consultancy are Deloitte, Ernst & Young, PA Consulting, PWC and KPMG.

Health: Alzheimer's

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the report by the Alzheimer's Society which found that inadequate care is resulting in patients being admitted to care homes sooner than necessary.

Earl Howe: The findings of the report are disappointing, given the level of dissatisfaction of many people with dementia and their carers with the quality of dementia care in the home. As the report makes clear, people with dementia want to stay at home and remain independent for as long as possible. It is not a question of spending more to make this possible. The report shows that there are savings to be made if people with dementia stay at home rather than entering residential care or going into hospital. The recommendations contained in the report are entirely consistent with the Government's policy on dementia care and the objectives in the national dementia strategy.

Health Protection Agency

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of any savings made by transferring the Health Protection Agency to the Department of Health.

Earl Howe: The financial impact of the abolition of the Health Protection Agency (HPA) was redacted from the published impact assessment. The HPA engages in a significant degree of commercial activity and its ability to generate income could be negatively impacted by publishing commercially sensitive information. The impact assessment process estimated a relatively small financial cost to abolishing the agency and merging its staff and functions with the Department of Health. It also sets out the major organisational benefits of what the Government are planning, but we acknowledge that these are harder to quantify in monetary terms.
	The primary objective of abolishing the HPA is not a financial one. The HPA is just one component of a system that is currently spread across central government, local government, the National Health Service and other arm's-length bodies such as the National Treatment Agency. Our intention is to replace that with a clearly defined and unified system for protecting and improving the nation's health.

Health: Cancer

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to increase investment in the National Health Service for the treatment of breast cancer.

Earl Howe: Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer, published on 12 January 2011, is backed by over £750 million in additional funding over the spending review period. This money will support the diagnosis, treatment and aftercare of patients with all cancers, including breast cancer.

Health: Midwifery

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the quality of midwife-led birth centres.

Earl Howe: The department has commissioned the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit to undertake a research study, entitled "Birthplace", which will compare the outcomes of births planned at home, in different types of midwifery units, and in hospital units with obstetric services. This is a three-year study, with a report expected in autumn 2011 and will be important in providing the evidence for any further action on choice of place of birth.

Health: Pathfinders

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many general practitioner "Pathfinder" consortia have been instituted; and how many expressions of interest they have received.

Earl Howe: The Health and Social Care Bill 2011 will provide for general practitioner (GP) consortia to be established from April 2012, prior to taking on full statutory responsibilities from April 2013. A rolling programme of GP pathfinder consortia has been established to test the different elements involved in GP-led commissioning and enable emerging GP consortia to get more rapidly involved in current commissioning decisions.
	Groups of GP practices keen to participate in the pathfinder programme put themselves forward to their strategic health authority (SHA). SHAs will approve any group of practices to become a pathfinder if they can demonstrate clinical leadership, local authority engagement and an ability to contribute to the delivery of the local quality innovation productivity and prevention agenda in their locality. There are currently 141 pathfinder consortia. Information on the number of expressions of interest to be pathfinders is not held centrally.

Health: Pathfinders

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether general practitioner "Pathfinder" consortia are operating with a defined devolved budget.

Earl Howe: This information is not held centrally. However, we expect primary care trust (PCT) clusters to support the development of all general practitioner consortia and to empower consortia to take on new responsibilities when they are ready to do so. This will include clusters delegating budgets with a dedicated management resource for emerging consortia ready to take on increased commissioning responsibilities.

Health: Pathfinders

Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty's Government what role primary care trusts are playing in the funding of active general practitioner "Pathfinder" consortia.

Earl Howe: Primary care trust (PCT) clusters will support the development of all general practitioner (GP) consortia through offering support, including a fund of £2 per head to support them in the development of their consortia. This can be used flexibly to fund, for example, clinical backfill, training and organisational development. Clusters will also provide support through a qualified or accredited senior finance manager; an organisational development expert/facilitator; an individual with expertise of appropriate governance arrangements or corporate affairs; and a commissioning expert.

Health: Reciprocal Agreements

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 17 January (WA 7), when they expect to conclude a reciprocal health agreement with Jersey.

Earl Howe: The United Kingdom expects to conclude a reciprocal health agreement with Jersey in the first quarter of 2011.

Independent Banking Commission

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ask the Independent Banking Commission to publish all suggestions for reform made by senior bankers.

Lord Sassoon: Responses received in response to the commission's Issues Paper: Call for Evidence and not marked confidential have now been published on the commission's website (http://bankingcommission. independent.gov.uk). This includes those responses formally submitted by several banks, including Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Bank of Scotland. In places commercially confidential information has been redacted from respondents' published submissions where they have asked it to be.
	The Government look forward to receiving the Independent Commission on Banking's final report in September 2011 and will consider their response in due course.

Iraq Inquiry

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the forecast cost to the public purse of the Iraq inquiry.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have carried out a cost-benefit analysis of the Iraq inquiry.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Iraq inquiry's total final expenditure for FY2009-10 was £2,270,500 and the inquiry has said that it will publish its final costs in due course. No cost-benefit analysis has been carried out.

Iraq Inquiry

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government why correspondence between the then Prime Minister and the then President of the United States regarding the possible use of joint military action in Iraq is regarded as private in nature and immune from disclosure to the Iraq inquiry and the public.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: I refer the noble Lord to the Cabinet Secretary's exchange of letters with the inquiry chairman, Sir John Chilcot, which is a matter of public record.

Israel

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to reports of a confrontation between Israeli police and Bedouin at the village of Al-Araqib in the Negev, around 19 January, and the demolition of buildings.

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are aware of this incident following the demolition of residential structures in the Bedouin village of Al-Araqib. Our embassy in Tel Aviv has made enquiries to the Government of Israel.
	We call on Israel to find viable and sustainable solutions to avoid the demolition of homes and the destruction of livelihoods that this causes.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Janner of Braunstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office was provided for coexistence projects between Israelis and Palestinians in 2010; and what percentage of United Kingdom aid to Israel and the Palestinian territories that represented.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The UK Government have funded a number of co-existence projects through the bilateral programme fund in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, totalling approximately £151,000 in 2009-10.
	In Tel Aviv this includes helping to establish the study of conversational Arabic language and Arab culture as a compulsory subject in Jewish elementary schools throughout the Jewish educational system. We have also helped to establish a third Jewish-Arab youth football team, bringing together players, parents and supporters from Jewish and Arab communities.
	In Jerusalem we have funded the Hope Flower School in Bethlehem. The project is designed to improve academic performance and upgrading IT skills and access to educational resources.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Janner of Braunstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding the Foreign and Commonwealth Office provided to promote joint business initiatives between Israelis and Palestinians in 2010; and what percentage of United Kingdom aid to Israel and the Palestinian territories that represented.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has funded a £318,000 project through its conflict programme, "Investing in Peace through ICT Business Co-operation and Capacity Building". This project has led to new business partnerships between Israeli and Palestinian companies. Four business partnerships valued at an estimated $2 million have already been established and others are in the making. The project has received international praise, winning a nomination for a Global ICT Excellence Award and most recently receiving the Digital Opportunity Award.
	UK Trade & Industry has also implemented a programme that supports both the Palestine-Britain Business Council and UK Israel Business.
	We are not able to say what percentage of United Kingdom aid to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories this represents.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Janner of Braunstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding the European Union provided for co-existence projects between Israelis and Palestinians in 2010; and what percentage of European Union aid to Israel and the Palestinian territories that represented.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The figures for EU funding to the Palestinian territories in 2010 have not yet been made publicly available. In 2008, EU funding assistance to the Palestinian people totalled €496.66 million. In 2010, EU Partners for Peace, which provides access to EU funds, allocated €5.8 million for grants to civil society projects supporting the Middle East peace process. One example was a project in February 2009 whereby EU Partners for Peace funded a seminar for European, Israeli and Palestinian non-government organisations in Ireland to enable them to learn from peace-building experiences before and during the peace process in Northern Ireland.

Israel and Palestine

Lord Janner of Braunstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding the European Union provided to promote joint business initiatives between Israelis and Palestinians in 2010; and what percentage of European Union aid to Israel and the Palestinian territories that represented.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The figures for EU funding to the Palestinian territories in 2010 have not yet been made publicly available. In 2008, EU funding assistance to the Palestinian people totalled €496.66 million. Of this, €53 million went towards "Palestinian Reform and Development Plan: Development Projects", part of which involved assisting the development of Palestinian businesses. The EU does not record specific figures for spending to promote joint business initiatives between Israelis and Palestinians.

Jobcentre Plus: Staff

Lord German: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they give to Jobcentre Plus staff about customer contact and information provision by text message, e-mail and other forms of electronic and digital communication.

Lord Freud: The benefits adviser went live in April 2008, providing entitlement advice for 28 benefits, pensions and credits. The service enables customers to get an estimate of the amount of benefit that they may be entitled to and to put in "what if" scenarios to see how starting work or increasing their hours of work could affect their benefit. To date, we have had over 4 million visitors to the service.
	Jobseeker's allowance (JSA) online was introduced in August 2009. The service enables unemployed customers to claim online, providing a convenient alternative channel, giving them the required flexibility identified by our customer insight. Customers who provide their e-mail address details will be sent e-mail confirmation that their application has been successfully received. More than 460,000 customers have successfully claimed JSA online.
	An SMS text-messaging service for Jobcentre Plus customers was introduced from January 2011 to remind customers of appointments and to let them know when their medical certificates have been received. These messages do not contain personal information.
	Before introducing new services such as the ones detailed above, we provide our change teams within Jobcentre Plus with guidance for cascade to appropriate staff. This is to ensure that staff are prepared in advance to be able to understand the new service and explain the changes to our customers. In addition, we have introduced digital champions into each Jobcentre whose role is to raise the profile of our online services and support offered to customers to develop digital skills.

Local Government: Finance

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hanham on 24 January (WA 114-15), how many of the 300 representations received on the proposals for the 2011-12 local government finance settlement were supportive of the proposals.

Baroness Hanham: Responses covered a range of issues and views. All comments received during the consultation period have been carefully considered when making final decisions.

Marine Environment: Maerl Beds

Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take on issues raised by the Marine Management Organisation about maerl beds.

Lord Henley: Maerl beds are an important habitat that support many different types of marine life and require protection under the Habitats Directive 1992 [92/43/EEC], particularly through the designation of Special Areas of Conservation. The Government will continue to support the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) which has powers to regulate activities within sites supporting this habitat to ensure it is protected in accordance with legislative requirements.

Media: Ownership

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that media competition regulators are not subject to lobbying by media owners which exceeds guidelines or the law.

Baroness Rawlings: In performing statutory functions and taking decisions about competition matters, all relevant regulatory authorities are required to act in accordance with the procedures specified in the applicable legislation concerned. The processes that must be followed when taking decisions about the control of mergers are set out in the Enterprise Act 2002. The processes applicable when taking decisions about breaches of competition are set out in the Competition Act 1998. The legislation includes specific provisions designed to ensure that all decisions are taken with the maximum practicable degree of transparency and fairness. In addition, when performing such functions, relevant regulators are under a more general obligation to act in a reasonable, proportionate and transparent manner in accordance with the requirements of administrative law.
	In light of the above the Government do not consider that any additional measures are required to protect against lobbying from media owners.

Northern Ireland: Security

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many convicted paramilitaries were released as a result of the Good Friday agreement; and for which offences they had been convicted.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Under the terms of the Belfast agreement, the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act was introduced in July 1998. Prisoners convicted of scheduled offences (terrorism-related) and attracting a sentence of five years or more became eligible to apply to the Independent Sentence Review Commissioners for early release on licence. Under these provisions 458 convicted members of paramilitary organisations were released.
	These individuals were convicted of a broad range of offences pursuant to Section 3(7) of the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998.

Northern Ireland: Security

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many alleged paramilitary-related murders, attempted murders and other terrorism-related offences in Northern Ireland and other parts of the United Kingdom remain unsolved; and how they decided to end investigations into those crimes.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Northern Ireland Office does not hold this information. The Historical Enquiries Team was set up by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) to re-examine over 3,000 deaths that occurred during the Northern Ireland Troubles. To date it has examined 1,359 cases and is due to complete its work by 2013. The noble Lord may wish to write to the chief constable of the PSNI about his query.
	I am advised by the Home Office that statistical information on arrests and their outcomes is published by the Home Office in the form of a quarterly bulletin, Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and Subsequent Legislation: Arrests, Outcomes and Stops and Searches. The latest edition is available at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb1810.pdf. Please note that these data are limited to Great Britain; it does not include data from Northern Ireland.

Northern Ireland: Security

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many paramilitary-related offences were committed in Northern Ireland in each year since 1981; and how many convictions of each type of offence there were.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Northern Ireland Office does not hold this information. The noble Lord may wish to write to the chief constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland about his query.

Northern Ireland: Security

Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government what United Kingdom legislation has been enacted to provide amnesties for convicted paramilitaries in Northern Ireland.

Lord Shutt of Greetland: There has been no legislation enacted to provide amnesties for convicted paramilitaries in Northern Ireland.

Organophosphates

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the review of organophosphates is being conducted by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment or by the Health Protection Agency; and, if the latter, why that agency is conducting the review.

Earl Howe: The review of published scientific literature on organophosphates is being carried out by the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT). The Health Protection Agency provides the secretariat for the COT for non-food related matters and the secretariat is drafting a discussion paper for consideration by the COT.

Pensions

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government how their spending cuts will affect teachers' pensions.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The Spending Review announced the Government's intention to implement increases to the level of public service employee pension contributions that will lead to savings of £2.8 billion a year by 2014-15, to be phased in from April 2012. A proportion of the £2.8 billion savings will be delivered by members of the Teachers' Pensions Scheme (TPS). The Government have proposed clear principles for the design of these changes: that low earners should be protected and that changes are progressive so that those on higher salaries make a greater contribution. The Government also expect to take forward further public service pensions' reform in response to the Independent Public Service Pension Commission's final report, which is due in March 2011, in the context of the clear commitment that individuals' accrued rights will be protected.

Police: Undercover

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 12 January (Official Report, col. 1402), whether HM Inspectorate of Constabulary or the Association of Chief Police Officers will undertake a review of lessons to be learnt from the use of undercover police officers.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to alter the management of undercover police operations targeting alleged domestic extremism; if so, how; and on what timescale.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government what definition is used to determine a domestic extremist or hardcore activist whose details merit being recorded on a police database.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how an individual would discover if their details were held on a database of alleged domestic extremists; and how they would apply for their removal.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many members of the House of Lords have their details recorded on the police database of alleged domestic extremists.

Baroness Neville-Jones: There is currently an IPCC investigation into the disclosure of relevant material relating to the trial that was discontinued by the CPS of six individuals who allegedly conspired to disable a power station in Nottingham.
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency has been asked by Nottinghamshire Police, the Metropolitan Police Service and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) to conduct an operational review into the actions and handling of Mark Kennedy during his deployment as an undercover officer. Finally, Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary is conducting a wider review of intelligence handling by national domestic extremism police units. Whilst the Government do not manage undercover operations, we are supporting the police plans to move the governance of the national domestic extremism police units to a lead police force to improve their accountability.
	Domestic extremism or hardcore activism has no legal definition. These terms are generally used by the police to refer to criminality in support of specific causes, not views that may be held by individuals.
	An individual may apply for subject access under the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998. Such a request generates an extract of all criminal record information contained on the Police National Computer (PNC), or in police records in England and Wales, or if there is no information it states there is none. Because the information generated is personal data, only the individual concerned is entitled access to it. An individual has recourse to the Information Commissioner if he is not satisfied with the information disclosed. The Home Office does not have access to, nor holds the information on, police databases which are maintained to tackle domestic extremism.

Prisoners: Work

Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average number of prisoners in HMP Gloucester without work, training or education in the last six months of 2010; and what was the average number of hours they spent locked in their cells.

Lord McNally: Information on the number of prisoners without work, training or education is not collected centrally. However, data are collected on the average hours that prisoners spend per week in purposeful activities, including work, training and education. The latest available figures relate to 2009-10 and show that prisoners at HMP Gloucester spent 11.3 hours per week on average in work and 4.0 hours per week on average in education and training.
	Data are collected on the average number of hours that prisoners are unlocked per weekday. The latest available figures, relating to 2009-10, indicate that prisoners at HMP Gloucester spent on average 8.5 hours unlocked. From this it is possible to estimate that they spent on average 15.5 hours (24-8.5) locked in their cells. This includes the hours when prisoners are asleep.
	The figures used in the answer have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisons

Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Mr Colin Allars, recently appointed Director of Probation and Contracted Prisons, has practical experience of working in probation or prisons.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Mr Colin Allars, recently appointed Director of Probation and Contracted Prisons, is responsible for providing operational advice to Ministers or to the Chief Executive of the National Offender Management Service.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government why, under the new management arrangements for the National Offender Management Service announced on 18 January, contracted prisons are to be run by the Director of Probation rather than the Director of Public Sector Prisons.

Lord McNally: Colin Allars has recently been appointed Director of Probation and Contracted Services. He has worked with offenders in a variety of roles since 1985. He was most recently Director of Offender Management for the South West within the National Offender Management Service agency with responsibility for five probation trusts and 14 prisons.
	As a director within the National Offender Management Service, Colin Allars will provide operational advice to both the Chief Executive and Ministers.
	The National Offender Management Service will be restructured over the next 12 months to a leaner functional structure which reflects the work the Agency does. This includes commissioning services, managing public sector prisons, delivering central system-wide operational services and managing contracts in probation and with the private and voluntary sector providers.
	Accordingly the delivery of operational services through contracts, including contracted prisons, is managed by the Director of Probation and Contracted Services rather than the Director of Public Sector Prisons.

Prisons: Resettlement of Offenders

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government which are the top three prisons ranked for success in the resettlement of offenders.

Lord McNally: The performance of prison establishments in England and Wales is assessed in the Prison rating system (PRS). The PRS assesses prisons against 36 indicators, which together produce an overall rating for each establishment on a scale of 1 to 4. Level 4 is defined as exceptional performance, level 3 means that the prison is meeting the majority of targets, level 2 indicates that overall performance is of concern and level 1 signifies that overall performance is of serious concern. The ratings are finalised following a moderation process overseen by the Ministry of Justice and are published on an annual basis on the department's website.
	The PRS includes four indicators under the heading of Resettlement (Social Inclusion), measuring (i) the percentage of prisoners entering settled accommodation on release, (ii) the percentage of prisoners entering employment on release, (iii) the percentage of prisoners entering education and training on release and (iv) the results of HM Inspectorate of Prisons' Healthy Prisons tests in relation to resettlement.
	The top three performing prisons against each of the indicators (i), (ii) and (iii) above at the end of 2009-10 are shown in tables 1-3 below. Establishments are ranked in the tables according to the percentage of offenders entering accommodation, employment and education or training on release. It should be noted that targets differ between establishments because they are agreed individually with commissioners.
	
		
			 Table 1: Settled Accommodation on Release 2009-10 
			 Ranking Establishment Percentage of Offenders Entering Settled Accommodation on Release Target 
			 1= Whitemoor 100% 80% 
			 1= Swinfen Hall 100% 90% 
			 1= Rye Hill 100% 95% 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Employment on Release 2009-10 
			 Ranking Establishment Percentage of Offenders Entering Employment on Release Target 
			 1 Blantyre House 82% 90% 
			 2 Risley 75% 40% 
			 3 Kirklevington Grange 70% 45% 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Education and Training on Release 2009-10 
			 Ranking Establishment Percentage of Offenders Entering Education and Training on Release Target 
			 1 Werrington 99% 93% 
			 2 Warren Hill 95% 89% 
			 3 Wetherby 64% 59% 
		
	
	For the fourth indicator (HMIP Healthy Prisons tests) a score between 1 and 4 is assigned to each prison, according to their performance against the test. It is not possible therefore to rank the top three. However, at the end of 2009-10 the following 14 prisons received the top score of 4, meaning that they were performing well against the test: Altcourse, Askham Grange, Castington, Doncaster, Exeter, Featherstone, Feltham, Hindley, Kirklevington Grange, Nottingham, Portland, Sudbury, Wealstun and Werrington.
	The figures used in the Answer have been drawn from administrative IT systems, which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Public Bodies Bill [HL]

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Scottish Government about whether a Sewel motion is necessary for clauses 17 to 19 of the Public Bodies Bill [HL].

Lord Henley: A Sewel motion is not required in relation to Clauses 17 to 19 of the Public Bodies Bill because they do not apply to Scotland. The powers conferred by Clause 17 relate to the Secretary of State's functions under Section 39 of the Forestry Act 1967 which, since devolution, only apply to land in England. The powers in Clause 18 are expressly limited to Forestry Commissioners' functions relating to England. Clause 19 prescribes the parliamentary procedure that is to apply to orders made under Clauses 17 and 18.

Republic of Ireland: Financial Support

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they did not make their loan to the Government of Ireland conditional on that Government's human rights record in the areas of employment and housing.

Lord Sassoon: Although technically bilateral, the UK loan to Ireland forms part of a larger, multilateral financial package co-ordinated by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union.
	The policy conditionality for the international support package-agreed by the Eurogroup, ECOFIN Council and the IMF-is critical to the achievement of the stated macroeconomic goals of the package and reflects the economic nature of the problems the package aims to address.

Republic of Ireland: Financial Support

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 20 December 2010 (WA 310) about their loan to the Government of Ireland, what discussions they had with that Government about any use of the loan to compete for investment and employment with businesses in the United Kingdom.

Lord Sassoon: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	The loan agreement makes it clear that the UK loan can only be used for the purpose of supporting Ireland's economic stabilisation plan and to restore its capacity to finance itself on the capital markets.

Retirement Age

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 18 November 2010 (WA 240), why they will not estimate the savings from increasing the pension age for civil servants who joined before 30 July 2007 by one year to 61; and what changes in costs were identified by the 2010 civil service superannuation scheme valuation.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government are currently awaiting the final report from the Independent Public Service Pension Commission (chaired by Lord Hutton). The Government have already made clear that they will develop their policy on public service pensions in light of the recommendations in that report. In the mean time the production of an estimate of any savings due to increasing by one year to 61 the pension age for civil servants who joined before 30 July 2007 would seem premature. It would require actuarial advice and could only apply to any service rendered after the effective date in the change in the scheme. The likely costs to the Government are therefore likely to outweigh the benefits of developing such an estimate at this time.
	The 2010 actuarial valuation of the Civil Service pension scheme is not yet complete. Once complete, a copy of the valuation report will be placed in the Library.

Roads: Unadopted Roads

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of how many miles of unadopted roads there are in the United Kingdom.

Earl Attlee: The most up to date information comes from a survey in 1972 which identified that there were around 40,000 unadopted streets. The vast majority of unadopted streets are farm tracks, private estates and service roads. There are currently no plans to fund any further surveys of unadopted streets.

Sarfraz Ibrahim

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Tankerness on 27 September 2010 (WA 464), what decision the Minister for the Civil Service has made on whether to forfeit Sarfraz Ibrahim's civil service pension benefits.

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Cabinet Office does not comment on the specific details of individual cases referred to the Minister for the Civil Service for his consideration.

Schools: Disruptive Pupils

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to protect teachers from pupils who make unfounded claims about misconduct.

Lord Hill of Oareford: The Education Bill published on 27 January aims to provide teachers with protection from false allegations by giving them a legal right to anonymity from allegations made by or on behalf of pupils until the point they are charged with a criminal offence, minimising the damage that false accusations can cause. Reporting restrictions will apply to any allegation of a possible criminal offence made by or on behalf of a registered pupil at the school, whether by a parent, friend or member of staff. Any publication of such an allegation that identifies the teacher involved will be in breach of the restrictions.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many entries there are on the Serious Organised Crime Agency's Elmer database of Suspicious Activity Reports; and how many entries have been removed since the introduction of the database.

Baroness Neville-Jones: As at 26 January 2011 the Elmer database of Suspicious Activity Reports had 1,733,862 entries. Since the introduction of the database 116,810 entries have been removed from the database.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government which local authorities have (a) at any time had, and (b) currently have, (1) direct desktop access, or (2) access from a terminal in a local police unit, to the Elmer database of the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Local authorities have never had direct desktop access to the Elmer database within their own organisations.
	Previously, the Serious Organised Crime Agency had partnership agreements in place with four local authorities allowing accredited financial investigators access to the Elmer database through terminals housed in local police units. These were Nottingham County Council, the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Trading Standards Service & London Illegal Money Lending Team, Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council and Glasgow City Council.
	Currently, there are no local authority users with direct "desktop" access, or access from a terminal in a local police unit, to the Elmer database.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce a de minimis exclusion from the requirement to report suspicious activities to the Serious Organised Crime Agency under money laundering regulations as recommended by the House of Lords European Union Committee.

Baroness Neville-Jones: We are grateful to the House of Lords EU Committee for its report into the operation and use of the Elmer database, the Serious Organised Crime Agency's (SOCA) principal tool in identifying suspicious activity that may involve funds which are the proceeds of criminal activity.
	We are considering the report, and will work with SOCA and other partners to provide a detailed response in due course.

Taxation: Income Tax

Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer on 24 January by Lord Sassoon (WA 124), what would have been the additional revenue if the 40 per cent tax rate had remained at the threshold for 2008-09 but higher rates of (a) 50 per cent, (b) 60 per cent, (c) 70 per cent, and (d) 80 per cent had been introduced in addition at the thresholds of £150,000, £500,000, £1 million and £2 million respectively.

Lord Sassoon: The previous Answer referred to in the question presented indicative estimates for each rate change in isolation, applying the tax rate to all taxable income above the relevant threshold. The Answer below combines all the tax rates into a single schedule.
	It is estimated that the introduction of these measures would have raised approximately £300 million in 2008-09. The estimated impact of each tax band is detailed in the table below.
	
		
			 Tax rate Taxable income to which rate apples Estimated change in income tax revenue for 2008-09 
			 50% £150,000-£500,000 Increase of £1,500 million 
			 60% £500,000-£1 million Increase of £300 million 
			 70% £1 million-£2 million Decrease of £500 million 
			 80% Above £2 million Decrease of £1,000 million 
		
	
	The figures refer to accrued liabilities during 2008-09 and do not reflect the timing of receipts.
	Estimates take account of behavioural responses, such as changes in work effort, increased tax planning, avoidance or migration motivated by tax rate changes. These effects, and associated revenue costs, are highly uncertain, in particular for large changes in tax rates for high income individuals posed in this Question.
	The pre-behaviour estimates on which judgments about behavioural responses are subsequently made are based upon the 2007-08 Survey of Personal Incomes and are projected in line with the Office for Budget Responsibility Autumn Forecast 2010.

Traffic Fines

Lord Lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 13 December 2010 (WA 148-9) about the issuing of notices to owners by the Traffic Enforcement Centre, what procedures should be followed where data cleansing or other tracing procedures performed after the issue of a warrant of execution identify that an inaccurate or incomplete address had been used by the local authority to serve the notice to owner and other documentation.

Lord McNally: There are no specific procedures that should be followed where data cleansing or other tracing procedures performed after the issue of a warrant of execution identify that an inaccurate or incomplete address had been used by the local authority to serve the Notice to Owner and other documentation. Where the address has changed since the issue of the warrant of execution, Part 75 of the Civil Procedure Rules applies and sets out the process for the reissuing of a warrant of execution. If the address does not comply, however, with Part 6 of the Civil Procedure Rules which sets out the address requirements the registration will be revoked by the Traffic Enforcement Centre and the local authority notified accordingly.

Uganda

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recent arrest in Uganda of the chief executive officer and managing editor of the Ugandan Summit Business Review magazine, Mustapha Mugisa, in relation to the publication of a cartoon of President Museveni on the magazine's cover.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Mr Mustapha Mugisa and Dr Samuel Ssejjaaka were arrested on 11 January. Following questioning they were released on bail, with a requirement that they report to the police twice a week. We understand that the investigation is ongoing and that neither man has yet been charged with an offence. Meanwhile, the day to day operation of the magazine, Summit Business Review, continues uninterrupted and we expect the next issue will be released as planned.
	I condemn interference with the responsible exercise of freedom of speech by the media. We will continue to raise the importance of respecting and promoting media freedoms in our dialogue with the Government of Uganda.

Visas

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 25 January (WA 159-60), how many certificates of sponsorship to work in the United Kingdom were issued last year to nationals from (a) Bolivia, (b) Colombia, (c) Cuba, (d) Dominican Republic, (e) Ecuador, (f) Guyana, (g) Haiti, (h) Jamaica, (i) Peru, (j) Surinam, and (k) Venezuela; and in respect of what occupations the visas were issued.

Baroness Neville-Jones: Information on the numbers of Certificates of Sponsorship (CoS) assigned to nationals of the countries in question, broken down by occupation, from 1 January to 31 December 2010 has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Not all of these CoS will have been used by the individuals to whom they were assigned and some will have been used in failed visa applications.
	Data on the numbers of visas issued to nationals of these countries broken down by occupation are not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.